STAKEHOLDERS PERSPECTIVE 

A way to gain new insights and ideas

The core element of ECIU University is collaboration with parties from society, such as municipalities, regional government, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), foundations, industries, or healthcare institutions. They are asked to submit a real-life challenge for students to work on. What are their experiences in collaborating with universities in this way? Three stakeholders respond.

Text: Sandra Pool
Photo: Own picture

ALOS Technology, located in Italy, provided the challenge ‘Back to the Future’, which was aimed at finding sustainable and green economy solutions by using the technology of photobioreactors (PBRs). The challenge was organised in co-operation with University of  Trento. ‘The teams were asked to adopt a holistic view in finding novel applications of micro-algal technologies,’ says Francesco Guzzonato, CTO at ALOS. ‘This ranged from bioremediation to life-support systems for space exploration, and from the sustainable production of food, feed and nutraceutical and cosmetic compounds to bio-architecture.’

According to Guzzonato, the collaboration was very fruitful: ‘In more than one instance, the teams proposed a radically new approach or new, unexplored applications. Micro-algal technologies are a market that is still in its early stages of development. Therefore, as ALOS, we decided that a broader, open-ended challenge was more interesting as opposed to asking the teams to address a narrow issue about a specific technology or application. This degree of freedom allows the team to explore the possibilities, cross-contaminate ideas, and hopefully contribute to highlighting the potential of these technologies. The challenge holds the potential to create and expand a market in which companies such as ALOS can thrive.’

FRESH INSIGHTS

Another participant is the Mazingira Association, a non-profit volunteer organisation that focuses on environmental sustainability and preservation. Since 2011, the Mazingira Association has been actively involved in the villages of the Kilombero valley, situated at the base of the Udzungwa Mountains in south-central Tanzania. Their primary goal is to harmonise local economies with conservation efforts.

The Mazingira Association was the stakeholder in the challenge ‘Engaging with the future: international co-operation for resilient communities’, which was organised in co-operation with University of Trento and Linköping University. ‘The goal of this challenge was to explore the future of international co-operation projects related to sustainability and education focused on migration, and to envision possible scenarios at EU level’, says Silvia Ricci, Coordinator at Mazingira Association. ‘By working closely together with students from all over the world, from different backgrounds and universities, the Mazingira Association gained fresh insights and innovative ideas for the abovementioned future projects.’

‘The interactive, practice-based learning activities that were facilitated by the challenge allowed us to forge new partnerships and networks, both regionally and internationally. Additionally, the experience helped us to refine our strategies for funding, organising, and implementing projects. It was an opportunity for us to connect academic knowledge with our practical field experience, and in return to allow students from different universities to gain real-world insights into sustainability and migration.’

LINES OF DEVELOPMENT

The third stakeholder offering insight in their experiences is Opera Universitaria di Trento, which also participated by submitting a challenge. They provide services such as accommodation, meals, scholarships, and access to sports and culture to talented and deserving students who do not have the means, through a modern, innovative and creative vision on the right to study. The organisation proposed a challenge on university housing: ‘We presented the TRent housing portal, created by us with the aim to facilitate the matching of supply and demand for housing in Trento and Rovereto,’ says Maria Laura Frigotto, President of Opera Universitaria. ‘The collaboration with ECIU University has enabled us to examine the housing portal from an international perspective, to enhance the innovative aspects of TRent and, at the same time, to propose lines of development in order to consolidate its position in the panorama of tools used for housing research.’